The Repair Shop fans spot major change as Jay Blades 'missing' from opening credits

The Repair Shop, which has been fronted by Jay Blades since it first aired in 2017, was missing the host from the line-up on Wednesday evening's episode

by · Birmingham Live

Viewers of the beloved BBC series The Repair Shop were taken aback to find presenter Jay Blades absent from the show's opening credits.

The series, where treasured items are restored in the hands of skilled craftspeople, has been hosted by Jay since it began in 2017. During the episode, which aired on Wednesday (September 18), fans were quick to spot that Jay had vanished from the intro, leading to speculation on social media platform X about the unexpected change.

One viewer remarked: "Noticing a big lack of Jay the opening few minutes. A bit of an impromptu trimming after recent headlines huh?"

Another was more direct: "Jay Blades unsurprisingly removed from the opening montage," with another noting a "Heavy edit to remove Jay from the opening montage," reports the Express.

The Repair Shop included different opening credits (Image: (Image: BBC))

Others argued for the show's continuation without him, asserting: "#TheRepairShop should continue without Jay Blades. The show is bigger than any one individual. The format is what makes the show popular with viewers, and makes it into a ratings winner, not Mr Blades."

In the background of these changes is the news from last week where Jay, aged 54, faced charges relating to "controlling and coercive behaviour" with his estranged wife Lisa Zbozen, aged 43.

Fans reacted to Jay Blades absence (Image: (Image: BBC))

Following recent legal events, the BBC has decided to shelve episodes of The Repair Shop featuring Jay and has communicated with The Sun: "The Beeb won't feature any new shows in which he appears until it is clear how legal proceedings conclude."

Meanwhile, the BBC is seeking participants for a forthcoming series of the popular restoration programme. A recent post read: "Our award-winning series The Repair Shop is returning to BBC One. Our team of Britain's most passionate and skilled craftspeople will rescue broken objects and restore them to their former glory."

Jay became the face of the BBC show (Image: (Image: BBC))

Last week, saw Jay facing serious accusations of "controlling and coercive behaviour" covering a period of 20 months, with charges highlighting significant impacts on his wife's wellbeing.

Tensions in the marriage began to surface publicly when Lisa disclosed her distress in a social media post, describing herself as "very broken" mere months following their nuptial celebration in Barbados in November 2022.

The Repair Shop airs Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC One.